Despite my resistance, the fashion industry has so successfully romanticized France in my mind that when I hear French music I think of dreamy vintage clothing, great works of art and mysterious, stylish women who I desire to emulate. French settings and music in movies always inspire me in a romantic, fantastic way, but it was watching Amelie and listening to its soundtrack that gave my fantasies more material to work with. I love seeing art that is an intersection between different mediums. However, while mediums like painting, music and literature collaborate often, fashion — ostracized as “less serious” — is too often left from this connection. So in my post here, I’ve tried combining music, movies and fashion together: I’ve recreated my reaction to the song ‘Les Jours Tristes’ from the movie Amelie.

The song begins with very playful and mysterious notes being played on the accordion. The bob in the tune reminds me of care-free dancing of a child lost in a winded fantasy. Or of the flounciness of my midi-skirt, sashaying as I dance and the wind blows. The shoes match the tempo of the song, they’re like tap dancing shoes or mary-janes, vintage in the spirit of the old showtime jazz influences in the song. The song romanticizes simple emotions: it features an uncomplex melody, but the use of orchestral instruments and a circus beat conveys their overwhelming intensity. It reminds me of the power romanticism holds in uncorrupted youth, and of the innocence of first love. The simple skirt and its playful movement mimic that unjaded innocence. The coy shots with richly colored flowers and fruits portray that traditional young femininity. The bright colors are brimming with hope and happiness, just like the major chords and sweet notes in the song that traditionally accompany nursery rhymes.

Another very pertinent theme here is eccentricity: the movie zooms into very random and strange habits of people, as if their personality is captured by what they do with their hands when they’re nervous: there’s a very tangible feeling of mischievous eccentricity. The song features it too; it layers a playful, quirky background with depressing lyrics about defeat. It’s very weird to get such a mishmash of emotions. I personally convey this eccentricity through the combination of prints and bright colors set against busy, loud backgrounds. My bright earrings and skirt set against the vibrant blue background or saturated flowers are willfully mismatched. Further, I’ve combined 3 statement pieces: oversized red earrings, a printed and ruffled top, and lastly a velvet skirt to stand out. The pictures are meant to show beauty in the resident quirkiness.

Music has such a potent power to make you feel something someone wants to convey: it can be terribly hard to put into words, but inspiring enough to create something through it. I guess I want the pictures here to do more of the talking - I hope they can make you feel even a bit of what Amelie and Les Jours Tristes made me feel.